


Online?

by Reya39



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gaming, High School, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26614486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reya39/pseuds/Reya39
Summary: Gaming. The perfect combination of fun and rivalry. The one thing that really made your heart ignite and spark up. The massive addiction that distracted you from the empty void.Until one day you come across a skilled player. Sasuke was his name. You didn't know why, but he made that void in you feel just the tiniest bit less empty.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke & Reader, Uchiha Sasuke/Reader
Comments: 32
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

"AAARGH!" You stand up in frustration and slam your hands down on your desk, nearly hitting the $100 keyboard. The match had been going smoothly just until your team was unexpectedly sabotaged. Your eyes flicker up to the small clock on your wall.

One more game wouldn't hurt. 

The character you play stands still in the lobby and your mind wanders off, the emptiness within you urging itself out again.

You flinch and grab your water bottle, taking a large gulp hoping to momentarily suppress it. Recently, you've noticed a pang of...you didn't exactly know how to describe it. It felt like a black hole, but more passive. Just a space of emptiness within you. The feeling would usually wear off within a couple of seconds but...recently it had been getting worse. It was your reason for staying up so late at night, unable to sleep. It was your reason for gaming. Just the simple adrenaline from the rivalry and excitement allowed you to become completely absorbed in the game, forgetting about everything else, including the void. 

You'd often pondered about this. It had no name, no label. Maybe it was simply just loneliness? You've never met your parents, never had the loving support of a mother, or the comforting protection and stability of a father. You didn't have many friends either.

The screen flashes white signaling that the game is starting and snaps you out of your thoughts. You adjust your microphone to make sure it's on and prepare yourself.

"Hello?" You speak uncertainly, hoping at least one person had a microphone just for the sake of better communication within your team.

"Hey," A voice on the other end responds, a boy's voice. "Are you a girl?"

God, please no. He better not be one of those internet virgins who boggle their eyes over every girl they see...

You sigh heavily preparing yourself for what might be a long 20 minutes, "Yeah I am."

"Hn. Girls shouldn't be playing these kinds of games." What? Despite it being 2 AM, your head starts to fuel up again with competitive energy. "Shut up loser," you retort back, "You wouldn't last five minutes in a 1v1 with me."

You weren't lying when you said this. Gaming had been your main source of entertainment for the past couple of months, and you were pretty confident in the skills you had developed. Cups and competitions were a regular thing for you and placing as a top player every week (in your area) wasn't even surprising at this point. 

"Whatever. Let's just get this game over with." The two other people on your team don't have microphones so it's just you and this loser talking the whole time, but he wasn't horrible. "Your skills aren't that bad, for a turd like you that is. I'd still beat you though." The game had gone on for a while and usually, you would have ditched your team by now but there were only six other people left so it would be better to just get it over with. Just when you're about to shoot the final shot the _turd_ comes out of nowhere and hits you with his bullet. And _kills_ you. The other team wins.

"What the fuck?" What actually just happened. Your head is enraged and confused at the same time.

"Sorry. Your character is just so ugly I mistook it for the other team." His voice is dead serious. Is this dude for real?

"1v1 me tomorrow." you furiously send him a friend request and your monitor pings as he almost immediately accepts it.

"Alright, "fortnite_god69" he says mockingly on the other end of the line, and your face automatically heats up from embarrassment at the username that you made as a joke.

"My name is y/n. And I don't want to hear anything coming from you, "em0kid"" you say back annoyingly.

"It's Sasuke. Whatever." You hear a beep signifying he's logged off and head off to bed, exhausted from staying up so late. School tomorrow is going to be dreadful with only four hours of sleep.

\-----------------

Your annoying alarm echoes off the walls of the nearly empty bedroom and you slowly creep up out of bed. To your surprise, you're not as tired as you expected to be, and if anything you feel refreshed. As you get ready, you realize that the emptiness had disappeared for bit, especially before you went to bed, which was unusual because it was the thing that kept you up so late. Playing with that person last night wasn't so bad either honestly, it had been some time since you _really_ got thrilled from the game.

Hm..."Sasuke" was it?


	2. Chapter 2

School was dreadful as usual, but luckily it was Friday so you could relax on the weekend. After the long walk home, you flop onto your bed and pull out your phone. You scroll through your short list of contacts and click on your best friend's number. It rings for a while before she picks up on the other end.  
"Hinata?" you ask, unsure if her cousin had picked up the home phone instead.

"Yes y/n, it's Hinata. What's up?" she replies in her usual soft and gentle voice. It's been a while since you two have called so you decide to tell her everything. You update her on everything from school, movies, books, and of course the video games you've been hitting up lately. Hinata listens attentively and you ramble on and on for a good 20 minutes. You two gossip, talk about the things going on in your life, and so on. 

When you think of people who are important to you, there are two people who come to mind. Hinata and Sakura. You and Hinata have known each other since preschool, and have gone to school together all the way up until after 8th grade when her family insisted that she go to a prestigious academy to tone her already amazing brains and skills. She was supposed to be the heir to her family business or something like that. She was like a sister to you, so you always made sure to call her at least once a week and meet up with her when you were free, but lately, school has been getting busy again.

Sakura, on the other hand, you met at the beginning of middle school. Well, not exactly. She had gone to the same school as you so you saw her every now and then but you didn't actually start talking to her until the end of 7th grade. By coincidence, you, Hinata, and Sakura were paired to work together on an ongoing semester-long project for science. Hinata had a couple of classes with Sakura so she was already comfortable with her, but you on the other hand were quite cautious of her. 

Sakura was the definition of a popular girl, or one in the making. Her flowy peach-colored hair mesmerized everyone and her smile was as bright as the sun. You had no reason to dislike her, but your cheesy kdrama obsession at the time warned you. Girls like her always ended up being snobby or spoiled, and you definitely didn't want to be around someone like that. 

In the end, your "senses" were wrong and Sakura really was just a normal, sweet girl. She was actually really similar to Hinata, but more expressive and extroverted. The science project had led you three having to continuously meet up, even outside of school. Afterward, you guys had sort of become a group, although Sakura was pretty popular among all of the kids in your grade so she was always in and out but you and Hinata loved her regardless.

After Hinata transferred schools, you became a bit more lonely, although it wasn't anything you weren't used to. Sakura always offered you to hang out with her multiple friend groups but you usually declined. Her face always looked so sad when you did though, so sometimes you said sure just to make her smile. You didn't want her stressing over nothing.

You check the time to see that you've been on call with Hinata for nearly three hours. You're about to end the call when something you forgot to tell her pops up in your mind.

"Oh, Hinata! Last night, I was playing some more video games right, and there was this player...I think his name was Sasuke. Anyway, we argued a bit during the game but he was pretty cool I guess. I'm not sure why, but his presence made me feel a bit less lonely haha." You chuckle awkwardly, embarrassed that you're practically a ghost without Hinata and Sakura.

"...Sasuke? That name sounds familiar, not sure though. I'm glad you like playing these video games and stuff, but y/n make sure to prioritize your health first! Staying up so late all the time isn't good for you." You can hear the worry in her voice.

"Alright Hinata, I promise I won't." You say this to reassure her because you don't want her to stress about you, but you know full well you're not complying with that promise.

"By the way y/n, I'm going to the mall tomorrow to look for some new shoes, wanna come?" You think for a couple of seconds to make sure you don't have any errands to do.

"Sure. Text me the details and I'll be there, I need to get some new clothes. I'll ask Sakura if she can come too."

"Okay, perfect. Bye!" You end the call and get started on your homework. It's not too long until you get restless and get back on your phone to scroll through social media.

_Mmmh there's a pretty big gaming tournament in a couple of months in our area. Maybe I'll enter? Oh, it's duos (two-person team). I could try to introduce Sakura or Hinata into gaming but...whatever it's a long way off no point in worrying about it right now._

\------------------

The clock on your kitchen counter reads 2:15 AM as you finish eating up the instant ramen you had cooked as a late-night snack. You put your bowl in the sink and get ready to go to bed. As you brush your teeth you can't help but feel like something is nagging you, as if you've forgotten something, but you can't remember what so you brush it off. You put on your retainers and crawl into the cool covers, curling like a bear. You're about to doze off right when you realize. The 1v1! Suddenly your weariness from the long day disappears and you are yet again pumped with adrenaline. Usually, you wouldn't have bothered at this point, and just gone to bed but...something about this...He's just some random person you met online anyway. You were fully aware of this, yet something, you weren't sure what, kept on pulling you towards him. Him as in...Sasuke. You power on your PC and load up the game, the time being 2:30. You log in and anxiously hope that he's still there, being patient enough to wait for you. 


	3. Chapter 3

As your character appears up on the game, almost immediately, Sasuke joins your lobby. Your heart is still beating quickly from the short burst of adrenaline. 

"What took you so long." He demands over the mic just as you pull your headphones over your ears. "Jeez _Sasuke_ , I forgot." Sasuke loads and sets all the settings in the game for the 1v1 while you do a few hand movements with your mouse and keyboard to warm up. "First to ten?" you ask, ten as in whoever got ten kills first. "Five. You kept me waiting." You heavily sigh but agree anyway since you feel kinda bad, despite the jerk he was. It could be 5 AM on his side of the world for all you know. The _Fortnite_ loading screen disappears and you start stealthily looting buildings gathering weapons and materials. You find a sniper and prop a smirk on your exhausted face outside of the virtual screen. 

Sniping is your specialty.

Based on the short team game you had with Sasuke yesterday, you figured out that he was pretty...well not good but...an expert in building. You were shit at building. Your hands just never seemed to be able to keep up with the fast and reckless movements required to build effectively. They were more built for smaller, more intricate, and specific movements. Essentially, sniping fit all of your strengths; video-game wise. 

You moved your character to the top of a building, searching around the area for Sasuke. It would be troublesome if he started moving a lot, or even worse, found your location.

You're just about to move to another roof when you hear some movement behind you and immediately build a wall behind you, just as Sasuke's character appears lowering your health down to 20 just like that. If you hadn't placed that wall just in time you would have been dead from his shotgun. "What the fuck??" You shout into your mic, still staggering in the game from not knowing how to react. "I thought we weren't doing sneak attacks? Common Fortnite _ETTIQUITE_?" Sasuke shoots you once more and your character collapses and dies in slow-motion, the screen reading:

fortnite_god69 was shotgunned by em0kid (2 meters)

"Y/n you're such a Fortnite god..." Sasuke snickers on the other end and you start fuming. On the other hand, you're pleasantly surprised that he remembers your name from last time. "That's unfair! I thought we weren't doing sneak attacks." You can practically see Sasuke rolling his eyes. "As if you weren't planning to snipe me without any warning. Unless you were going to announce it before you fired the shot." He had a fair argument, but that was the entire point of sniping.

"That's different." You debate, but before you can further discuss you've already respawned with your materials. You sprint to find a decent shotgun. If he was going to make it difficult you weren't going down without a fight first. 

* * *

You're breathing short breaths, nearly panting. Small beads of sweat frame your face. Sasuke's upfront fighting technique clashed with your single-shot to kill technique, and the remaining four battles had been intense. You groan in frustration from losing. It was a narrow loss. "Suck it up y/n, I guess you were all talk."

"Shut up, snipers don't go well with 1v1's." Despite your snarky attitude, you enjoyed it. It was fun. Exhilarating.

"Then maybe you shouldn't use a sniper." "Tch," you say, too worn out to reply with anything better than that.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep, it's nearly 3 AM." your eyes wander off to your own clock on the wall, which also reads 3 AM.

"See you." Sasuke says, logging off before you can say anything else. _Does he live near me? Hinata did say she felt as if his name was familiar..._ _No, this timezone stretches pretty far. I shouldn't think too much of it._

* * *

You wake up a bit later than usual, around 10:30 AM. You put on a white shirt and a casual black sundress over it, combing your hair with your fingers as you head out the door. It's still pretty early in the school year, so the weather is still warm enough to wear summer clothes, but soon you'd need warmer clothes for the snow and hail to come; which was why you agreed to meet up with Hinata and Sakura today.

Surprisingly, the other two haven't arrived yet, so you kind of just look around in the open while you wait for them. You check your phone to see that Hinata has sent you a few messages. 

"Y/n I'm with Sakura right now but there's some traffic so we might be a little late"

"You can go on ahead without us if you want we'll catch up with you when we get there"

"Okay, let me know when you guys get here" You reply back while walking into the mall, the cool air conditioning breezing against your damp cheeks.

Not wanting to go shopping alone, you decide to grab a drink first while you wait for Sakura and Hinata. You walk to your favorite classic boba shop and order your usual. While you're waiting for your drink, you scroll through your phone to find that even more ads about the upcoming tournament have continued to pop up all over social media as well as gaming accounts you followed. You hear your number called and pick it up quickly as you see Sakura and Hinata just outside of the mall entrance.

You wave over to them, one hand still clutching your drink. "Hinata, Sakura!" They see you in the mall and walk in as you all greet each other.

"Ahh, it's been a while, I'm so excited to see what they have around today!" Sakura squeals and Hinata nods along. The three of you walk around, the cool drink you ordered soothing your dry throat as you talk your mouth off. Since you originally came to help Hinata find a new pair of shoes, you decide to go to the shoe shop first.

The store is open and bare, with few selective shoes lining the walls on platforms. There are a few other people inside. Considering Hinata's wealthy family, it would be normal for her to buy products from brand names and such. Although you had been by her side for years, the financial difference between you and her never failed to amaze you; or rather make you envious.

Sakura stays by Hinata's side as she looks around timidly. You go and sit down on a firm leather couch on the other side of the store and wait for them while scrolling on your phone. You're looking at new clothes you might be interested in (through the online catalog) when someone stumbles over your foot, their new pair of shoes making contact with the marble floor as they swing out of the bag they were packaged in.

"Sorry..." You mutter, still looking at your phone, not bothering to even glance up.

A few seconds pass before you realize the person is still standing there, right in front of you. Slowly moving your head up, your eyes are met parallel with a pair of piercing dark ones, and it was almost as if a deep red were embedded within them. You take in the full picture. The boy before you has ink-black hair and bangs that casually but elegantly frame his angled face. His lips are thin and he seems about your age, perhaps a bit older. Nothing about him really sticks all that much out, except for the fact that he's been glaring at you for the past five seconds without moving...

"...Can I help you?" You ask uncertainly, sliding your phone back into your pocket. The boy points to the ground where his new shoes lay scattered. _Why hasn't he picked them up?_

"Pick them up." You don't react, your body not being able to comprehend what your brain is processing. "Excuse me?" You say, confused yet furious.

The boy's flawless face scrunches up as if he's about to shout something, but before he can another boy, probably his friend interrupts him. The new boy looks at you, his bright yellow hair matching his smile, "Hey, sorry about that haha, my friend can be kind of tense sometimes." He whispers something to the dark-haired boy and picks up the shoes from the ground as they leave the store. _What the hell._

Sakura and Hinata rush up to you right after you take a deep breath. "Y/n!" Hinata quivers, "Are you friends with _Naruto_?" her eyes are glimmering as the name _Naruto_ rolls off of her tongue perfectly. You're confused again, "Naruto? I don't know who you're talking about, Hinata" Sakura appears behind you placing her hands on your shoulders. She's trembling. "D-did you guys just see h-him?!" You tilt your head. "Who again?" Sakura goes into her boy-crazy mode, "The boy just now, he was _so hot_." _Oh, him. The asshole._ You had already forgotten what he looked like, but Sakura swoons pretty much over any boy she sees.

Turns out that the boy Hinata turned into a nervous wreck for was just a "small" crush from school, but both you and Sakura knew better. "Oh yeah, y/n! The boy that was with Naruto just now, I think his name was Sasuke. No wonder the name sounded familiar when you mentioned it to me." Your eyes widen.

Sasuke?

 _The_ Sasuke?

Sasuke as in _em0kid_ Sasuke?

You couldn't believe it. Well, actually you could. His shitty attitude made that easy. Okay, so you knew Sasuke in real life now. Well, not really-yeah pretty much. But what were you gonna do now? Should you mention it the next time you two played together? No, that would just make you seem like a creepy stalker. Plus, you didn't even get a good look at him. Your memory was shit anyway, so all you could really remember at this point was his lingering sneering scowl. 

The three of you go to some other shops and you end up buying a new jacket for the upcoming cold as well as a few pairs of snuggly socks to wear in your house. You get home and take a nap before getting online, Sasuke on your mind.

Not in _that_ way of course. 

He's online and you join his party with the click of a button.

"Hn." His usual greeting, which you've figured out translates to "Hello" in the modern English language. You play a few duo rounds with him, placing in the top 3 each time. You hate to admit it, but the two of you made a killer combo and a decent team at that. You're both battling another team when out of nowhere you say the unspeakable. "Did you get new shoes today?"

You immediately regret asking. You don't even know why you asked. You purse your lips as you wait for an answer.

"No." 

_What...?_

His answer leaves you puzzled. It wasn't unusual for him to give short, vague replies. Maybe the person you saw today was a different Sasuke? No, the chances of that were unlikely. Maybe he just felt like lying. You shrug it off and beat the opponent alongside Sasuke in-game. You're about to log off when the tournament ad pops up in your head again. You decide to ask Sasuke; there really wasn't anything to lose. If he said yes, then you had a decent partner. If he said no, then you'd just find someone else.

"You know that tournament coming up next month, the duo one?" You ask casually, trying to hint at what you're going to ask. Sasuke merely grunts. "Do you wanna sign up..." You finish the sentence, trailing off. _Jerk. Making me ask the cheesy shit instead of just answering yes or no..._

Sasuke grunts again. You get impatient. "Is that a yes or no." You demand flatly.

He grunts again, forming the word "sure" at the same time, barely audible. "Okay. The deadline for sign-ups is Friday, I have school work to do so you sign up for it."

"But-" Sasuke interrupts, but before he can argue back you leave his lobby and log off. Payback, you think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is staying safe and staying home during these times!

Schoolwork piles upon you and you're unable to get online for a good three weeks. English in particular was stressful. _I should've just taken the normal course instead of honors_.

The only reason you did in the first place was that Sakura got into the same class. Despite being close friends, there was always a small hint of rivalry, especially when it came to academics, though barely noticeable. It was the kind of rivalry where you would both ask each other your scores and grades for each test, assessment, and quiz. But of course, if the other person did worse than you, you would still reply with "That's good!" while a fake smile plastered your face. It didn't bother you that much though. If anything, it pushed you to do better in your classes. You'd never been all that motivated to do well in school, mostly because there was never a doting parent constantly bothering you about college and future plans.

You were slightly better than Sakura, in academics at least, but she overtook you by far when sports were added into the mix. She was proficient in multiple martial arts like karate, judo, and (surprisingly) kendo. To say she is talented is an understatement.

Today was Friday, your favorite day of the week (for obvious reasons). The school bell rings and everyone simultaneously packs up and leaves their seats while the teacher is mid-sentence. Any normal student would have to deal with the rush hour in the hallways, but you're decently agile, and slip in between people and get to the front gate of the school in less than 3 minutes. If you were able to get out just a few minutes earlier than usual, the bus schedule would align perfectly with the route near Hinata's school. You speed walked/jogged until you got to the bus station around the corner to see that the bus had just gotten there. _One more minute and I would've missed it._

Hinata's school was a private prep school. It was also a boarding school, so they had lots of students from overseas as well. Her neighborhood is a rich one as well, so a lot of the kids are children of CEOs of companies and whatnot. All in all, her school is a lot better than your tax-funded public school. There's a bit of traffic since its Friday, so you send Hinata a quick text,

_Might be a bit late, don't leave without me!_

Hinata replies with a thumbs-up emoji.

Sometimes, once or twice a month, you and Hinata study together, just for fun. The two of you find it more relaxing than going to the mall, and you can both catch up on some homework with each other's comfortable presence. You both prefer to study in the library together...well, more like Hinata's library. Its _much_ nicer than the one at your school. Since Hinata goes to a private school, it's not like anyone can just walk in, which is why you don't go there often. If its just one student, most of the teachers at her school don't care, but there are some we make sure to avoid as well. The bus stop you get off at is two blocks away from her school. Most of the students there have drivers or their parents pick them up, so there isn't really a need for the public bus to have a stop near there. You do a light jog and slow down while you reach her school in an attempt to not draw attention. Your pedestrian clothes don't really match with their crisp uniforms though, so naturally, you stand out. For these particular occasions, you put on a navy blue sweatshirt so at least you match their uniform colors.

Hinata is leaning against the concrete building looking around when she spots you. You both do your usual routine of calmly walking into the school, Hinata in front of you while you walk behind in her shadows. You both swiftly enter the library and sigh in relief. You immediately start talking.

"I almost missed the bus today I would've cried if I did," Hinata giggles, and you start studying while chatting.

About 30 minutes in, there's loud chattering coming from a group of students that had just entered the library. You don't really care, you're used to it from your own school library that's never quiet.

"Hey, Hinata do you know how to solve this one? I'm having some trouble with it-"

Hinata's face turns light crimson as she looks in another direction, and you jerk your head to see what caused that reaction, though you already have an idea of who it might be. 

Just as you see the blonde-haired boy, he calls out to Hinata.

"Hinata! What're you doing here?" He tilts his head sideways and his face droops a bit. "Didn't you ace that last math test we had? I totally flunked it." He groans, and Hinata's face turns as red as a ripe tomato. You smirk.

"N-Naruto..." she turns to you and starts talking quickly, "H-How does he know what I got on our math t-test? I don't remember telling him..."

"Oh, that? Tenten told me."

"UH-" You jump a bit at the sudden appearance of Naruto being behind you, facing Hinata. "Oi, Hinata who's this? I don't remember seeing anyone like this in our grade"

You both turn to Hinata for an answer, but Hinata is trembling and her whole face is burning up, so you do the talking.

"Uh...I...I'm a transfer student!"

Naruto is one to talk his mouth off, so if more teachers knew that you were using their library you could potentially be banned from entering their campus (although it's kind of illegal to begin with since you aren't a student...).

"Eh? A transfer student? I definitely haven't seen you around..." His face scrunches up in confusion and you almost laugh.

"Um I" your mind goes blank, but thankfully someone interrupts you.

"Naruto," someone calls from somewhere in the library, "stop flirting with girls and help me with the project. I'll be pissed if we fail because of you."

You quickly turn back to your open textbook to avoid seeing a certain _someone._ The voice was all too familiar again. Three-weeks without hearing it yet it rang such a loud bell in your head.

Naruto turns while waving to Hinata, "Fineeeee, _Sasuke_. See you, Hinata!" _I knew it,_ you think. After you can't hear Naruto's footsteps any more, you turn to Hinata, mischief in your eyes.

"So...Naruto, huh?"

Hinata pushes you lightly, "It's not like that, y/n! We're just friends, that's all..."

* * *

Sasuke's POV

Logging in for the fifth day in a row, Sasuke checked the bar on the side of his screen to see which of his friends were active. He scrolled down to y/n's profile, seeing the same activity status he has been seeing for the past three weeks; _Offline._

He sighed in annoyance. _What is she doing? The tournament is coming up soon._

Not bothering to play even one round, Sasuke switches off his PC and flops onto his bed, phone in hand. He'd been wondering about the question y/n had asked him a few weeks ago, about getting new shoes. Sasuke was 80% sure that the girl he saw that day was y/n after that interaction.

Naruto sends him a text on Instagram, quote on quote,

_OMG!! Hinata is so pretty!!_

He's sent a post from her account which is private, and Sasuke doesn't follow her to begin with, so he can't see it. 

_Send a screenshot, I don't follow her_

Sasuke replies back, pressing the "request to follow" button after he sends the message.

_You really should follow people that you know Sasuke... *attached photo*_

Sasuke clicks on the photo to find that it's a photo of Hinata with two other people, who he assumes are her friends. The bottom of the post shows him that it's a photo from a year ago...

 _Naruto did you just like the post?? That photo is from over a year ago. She's gonna think you're a_ stalker

Naruto responds with a voice message of him panicking, and Sasuke rolls his eyes. Two notifications pop up on his phone.

_hyuga_hinata has accepted your follow request_

_hyuga_hinata has requested to follow you_

He accepts her request and presses on her profile to view her account. He scrolls a bit and sees a photo that sticks out to him. It's a photo of a girl who seems to be furiously smashing a rainbow light-up keyboard out of anger. The caption reads,

"y/n getting heated over Fortnite"

 _Huh. Interesting._ Yeah, Sasuke was 100% sure she was the same person at this point. Sasuke and Naruto had seen Hinata at the shoe store that weekend as well. Going back, he realizes it's the same girl from the screenshot that Naruto had sent him. He recognizes the hair. He texts Naruto one more thing before starting his homework.

_Meet me in the library after school tomorrow, we need to get started on that history project_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont even ship naruhina i dont know why i put so much in this chapter


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, i'm going to try and get back into updating this regularly. anyway, i hope you enjoy this!
> 
> comments and kudos are greatly appreciated and help keep me motivated <333

You let out a long sigh as you submit your last and final assignment for the semester, the clock nearly reading midnight. You turn on your air conditioning to help with the sweat framing your face despite the awfully freezing weather outside. Collapsing on your bed, you feel the pressure on your shoulders and the stress in your head slowly creep out. You were tired. _Really_ tired. All of your motivation had been sucked up by your classes and you just wanted to sleep for a whole week straight. But the lack of free time recently kept you awake, and the silent cool night was perfect for scrolling on your phone, reading a book, and even better, playing video games.

A low whirring filled your bedroom as you switched your PC on, but the sound quickly faded out as you pulled your headphones over your ears. There was one thing on your mind tonight. And that was playing with Sasuke. There was no other reason you continued to play Fortnite, really. None of your friends played, and doing randoms wasn't fun either since no one ever had their mic on. But Sasuke intrigued you for some reason, and you weren't sure why. But you did know that every moment with him was different, whether it be online or in real life.

The friend tab says that he's in the middle of a match with two other players on his team. _Doing trios with his friends, probably_. You debated whether you should invite him to your party or just log off, as you weren't in the mood to engage in forced, friendly conversation with people you didn't know. You sit back in your chair and look up at the popcorn ceiling, letting out another long sigh; you seemed to do that quite often these days. Your eyelids feel droopy and heavy, the tension in your head weighing down on you. Closing your eyes, you embrace the peaceful darkness of your room. You were too tired at that point to move to your bed that's only a stride away.

You sit like that for a while. You're not sure for how long, but it feels like a long time.

 _Ping!_ You jump up a little, startled from the notification sound that blasts through your headphones and disturbs the quiet stillness surrounding you. You squint at your monitor, the brightness burning your eyes slightly. In the top left corner, Sasuke has invited you to his party. You check the time; it's only been 15 minutes since you got online. Sighing yet again, you accept, since the only reason you got on was to play with him anyway.

"Hey," Sasuke says on the other end. "Hey," you reply, trying to sound energetic, but it's a pathetic attempt and your voice comes out croaky and weak. Sasuke sighs exaggeratingly, "What's wrong." he says, the sarcasm evident in his "question", which as usual sounds more like a demand. You don't even bother denying it. "School. It's just a lot. More than I can handle, and I'm not what you would call one of the _smart kids_." You sneer at the end, already knowing that Sasuke is going to taunt you.

You wait for his edgy remark, but it doesn't come. "Sucks," is all he says, but there's no hint of annoyingness and almost sounds sympathetic of him. You feel warm even though your air conditioning is on high. _Huh. I guess even he can feel bad for people sometimes._

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just start playing. The tournament is coming up in just a few days. Sorry I haven't been online lately." you want to move on from the topic already, you don't really like talking about your personal issues with other people. "It's fine," Sasuke replies, "it's not like anyone is skilled enough to take away our first place award anyway."

The corners of your mouth lift up a bit and you chuckle softly. "Yeah," you say. Sasuke was surprisingly good at lightening your mood, even if it wasn't intentional.

The two of you play for three endless hours, most of it being comfortable silence. For a shooting game, you felt pretty calm and relaxed the whole time. Or maybe it was because Sasuke was there. His presence seemed to be your medication for stress, even if it was just through a screen.

"Okay, this'll be my last game for the night, ahhhhhhhh." you yawn loudly, breathing directly into your mic. You can hear Sasuke flinch from the sound as he says "Tch." on the other end. Feeling drowsy, something pops into your mind, and you say it out loud without a second thought.

"Want to meet up on Wednesday?"

 _Fuck it_ , you think. Whatever happens, happens. You know he's not stupid enough to _not_ know it was you at the store and in the library those days. _And_ he's a bad liar. There's no way for him to get out of this. That is unless he outrightly rejects your offer. Your heart drops to your stomach at the thought, but you quickly shake it off. _Why would he say no? There's no reason to. That's right. No reason to say no. Why would I care if he says no? It's not like I like h-_

"At my school?" Sasuke interrupts as you begin to overthink, and your eyes lift up immediately. _Ah, he just indirectly admitted to knowing it was me those times._ He says it so casually it's as if the two of you have been friends for years, not months. _Wait. School?_

"Huh?" you question, "aren't you on winter break?" Hinata's school had winter break and other holidays at the same time as your school, so what was he talking about? "I mean, I assumed we would meet up at a place we both know...unless you want me to pick you up at your house..." He treads off at the last part, and you unconsciously blush at the thought, thankful that Sasuke couldn't see your face right now. Your heartbeat speeds up, and you try to keep your voice steady as you speak. "I-It" you clear your throat, "It's been getting kind of cold lately...and your school is kinda far from where I live..." your voice cracks slightly from your nervousness. It's not like you were lying about anything though. Hinata's- _Sasuke's_ school is a good 30-minute walk from your house. And from what he said, _pick you up_ , means he has a car, which is far better- and warmer, than walking in the harsh weather.

"Hn. Just text me your address on Instagram then. I'll come around 2 PM."

"Ah, okay. What's your username?" the thought of even knowing Sasuke's social media was a huge step. It was the barrier between knowing him online and in real life. _I wonder what kind of photos he posts? Hm, maybe he doesn't post at all, knowing his personality. He's probably one of those people that barely posts, but when he does he gets hundreds of likes._ Just as you're thinking, a notification pops up.

_sasuke.uchi has requested to follow you_

"How'd you find my account so quickly?" you ask immediately, _was he stalking you?_ You blush even though you already know that isn't the case.

"I follow Hinata. She has you tagged in one of her posts." _Of course, he follows_ _Hinata_ , you think. _They're probably in some classes with each other. I need to make sure she doesn't have any embarrassing photos of me on her profile. Oh..._ you quickly realize. _That means he would've had to recognize what I look like._ A smile grows on your face, but you quickly save it for later as you do a quick scroll through your account to make sure you don't have anything weird posted. You accept his request and follow him. He has a few posts, which already is a surprise. Most of them are of a sunset or city view, and he only appears in one of the posts. It's a group selfie of him with a few other people at karaoke. You recognize the blond-haired kid as the one taking the selfie. _Naruto was his name?_ _T_ _he one that Hinata likes_. Sasuke is in the back of the photo, barely visible. But you would recognize his scowl-stricken face expression anywhere, even if you had only seen it once.

"Okay, I'll see you on Wednesday I guess. Night." You say, ending the slightly awkward silence that had appeared while the two of you were looking at each others' social media.

"Night." he says before logging off, which is actually a huge change. Usually, he just leaves the party after you say that. You squirm a bit, happy about the progress you had made with him. As _friends_ , of course. Nothing else.

You send Sasuke your address before you head to sleep, a warm feeling encompassing you that the chilly weather could not prevent, and your thin blankets most definitely did not cause.


	6. Chapter 6

Before you knew it, Wednesday had rolled around the corner. You'd slept in the entire weekend and most of Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully, by that time you'd caught up with the sleep you had lost and were awake a few hours before Sasuke was set to arrive. 

A light snow had begun to fall, just barely covering the surroundings outside your window like dust on your kitchen counters. You took your time getting ready, it was still early morning and you were in no rush to go anywhere anytime soon.

Brushing your teeth, your phone pings, and you check to see who it could be, your mind briefly swooning over the idea of Sasuke texting you first before you quickly shake it off. It's Hinata,

_Hey, Y/N, are you busy today? I was wondering if I could come over just to hang around_

You lift an eyebrow just a bit. Usually, the two of you hang out at her house, just because it's nicer and there's more stuff to do. _Huh. There must've been something that happened at her house._ You decide not to press the issue, knowing that her family caused her a lot of anxiety.

 _Ah, it would probably be less awkward if she came over anyway, I've never talked with Sasuke face to face._ You were pretty sure they had a few classes together as well, but knowing both of them, they weren't the types to remember everyone in all their classes. Toothbrush still in your mouth, you text Sasuke to let him know.

 _Hey, my friend is gonna come over as well._ You smirk as an idea pops up in your head. _If you can, bring your blond friend with you as well._

Sasuke reads your messages and replies with an, " _Ok"_ shortly after.

You finish brushing your teeth before calling Hinata instead of texting back. She picks up on the first ring.

"Oh, Hinata," you start, "a few other people are coming over as well, but don't worry, they're from your school and I'm pretty sure you already know them. Sasuke and uh, Naruto I think his name was? I don't know. Sasuke said he would bring him along if he could."

Hinata sputters a weird sound on the other end, a mixture of what you assume to be of the words "huh" and "what".

"How do you even know Naruto? I don't recall ever introducing you to him. I don't even talk to him!" She completely ignores the part about Sasuke. She sounds a bit panicked but in a good way. Her breaths are laced with excitement and...well, it's quite obvious she has a crush on Naruto, let's just say that. You fill her in on how you've been playing Fortnite with Sasuke for the past few months, and how you decided to meet up since the two of you had already seen each other in real life before anyway. It takes her a while to recall who Sasuke actually _is_ before she finally addresses him as "the one who is always with Naruto"

You talk with Hinata for a bit more before you both end the call finish getting ready. 10 minutes before the agreed time, you're making sure your small apartment is presentable. There wasn't much to clean, but you wander around anyway. Your bed is still unmade, but that was expected. You detested making your bed. It made absolutely no sense to you at all. Why make your bed if you were only going to get back into it at the end of the day? Personally, you thought that it made your bed less comfortable as well. But you knew that was just in your head, being a big sleeper and all. And no one besides yourself and _maybe_ Hinata was going to be in your room, so there was no need to clean it.

Someone knocks on your door and you swiftly walk over, already knowing it's Hinata. Only one person in the world could knock on a door with such delicateness. Recognizing the way she knocks on doors was just one of the many things that years of being her friend taught you. 

You closed your eyes as you opened the door, bringing Hinata into a hug as you buried your head and sighed on her shoulder-

Except her shoulder wasn't there. Or at least it was higher than usual...did she get taller? You slowly open your eyes and look up, only to meet dark black eyes so different from the pale purple ones you were used to seeing.

You immediately released your hug and distanced yourself from who you already knew was Sasuke. "S-Sorry about that," you manage to stutter out. "I thought you were my friend, since the way you knock...nevermind." Shaking your head, you realized it might sound creepy to him if you said you recognized the way people knocked on doors. You sigh. _Great. I just messed up our introduction and made it all weird. Hopefully he doesn't care much._ You looked up to see his black hair neatly combed into the same punky hairstyle you'd seen on him before. He was wearing a simple coat and a bit of snow had settled on his shoulders. _Huh?? Did he walk here? I thought he had a car-_

"It's fine," Sasuke interrupts your thoughts, his voice smoother and clearer in real life than through a pair of headphones. You decide to start the conversation first, sensing that he wasn't a big talker.

"So, did you walk here?" you say, continuing off of your previous thoughts. "I thought you had a car, sorry about that. I probably would've just walked to your school if I knew." You lean against the doorframe, sighing again. You can see your breath in the air like smoke from a cigarette.

"Yeah, it's a bit cold..." Sasuke replies, and you get up from your relaxed position. "Oh yeah, here, come in." His face was a bit flushed as well, _from the cold_ you thought. Your face was burning a bit from embarrassment. How could you just casually start up a conversation while he was still standing outside?

Sasuke delicately walks into your apartment, the entryway being a snug fit even with only two people. Your bodies occasionally touch and bump into each other while you're shuffling around and Sasuke is taking off his shoes. You walk over to your open kitchen and start looking through cabinets as something to do while you wait for Hinata to get here. Sasuke hangs his coat on the hook behind the door as he closes it.

"Want anything to drink? I have water, uh, tea," You open the fridge to look for some more stuff, a bit ashamed at what limited options you have to offer. You rarely ever had guests come over though, so it wasn't something you made sure to have. "And...iced water..." you finished, closing the freezer. _Not that anyone would want iced water in the middle of Winter._

Sasuke had sat down on one of the two chairs in your kitchen accompanied by the small table you use to eat meals. "Tea, preferably hot," Sasuke sarcastically says, and you sneer back. It already felt less uncomfortable. You get out a black tea bag and start boiling some water. 

"Naruto should be here soon, but he's usually late for everything, tch." _Oh, the blond kid. Yeah, Naruto._ You made a mental note to stop calling him the blond kid. You didn't know what you would do if you accidentally called him that out loud when he got here. 

"Yeah, my friend too," you reply, "although she usually gets here early, that's why I thought you were her for a second back there." Sasuke simply nods back and you pour the ready tea into two of the three mugs you own. You place one onto the table in front of Sasuke and walk back to lean on the counter. You watch him as he takes a sip of the tea, finally getting a good look at him without the awkwardness of him looking back. His face is perfectly porcelain without flaws. _It looks so smooth, I wonder what it would feel like if I touched his face._

Steam comes from the mug, and you see Sasuke lean into the warmth. His eyelashes are visible as he closes his eyes while drinking, and standing up gives you a better view. They're long and thick, complimenting his face when he closes his eyes, but with them open, they're barely visible.

He looks back up and you avert your eyes to your own cup of tea and take a long sip, the liquid soothing your throat that had become dry from nervousness.

The two of you sit (and stand) like that for a few minutes, a slight tension and awkwardness in the air around you while you both continue to take small sips of your tea.

* * *

Sasuke Third Person POV

_She hugs so tightly_ , Sasuke thought while drinking the warm tea. It was almost like he could still feel the warmth from her hug earlier radiating off of the tea. He probably only felt like this since it was cold though, he convinced himself. It had been a while since someone had last hugged him, even if it was by accident. He looked around the kitchen; it was small, and he could see a door to a room that most likely was Y/N's. Her place was small, and from what he could tell, she lived alone. She had never mentioned anything about her family, and frankly, neither did Sasuke; so he decided not to bring it up. However, if she asked about his family, he would ask back. _It was only fair that way,_ he thought, but it was just a lame excuse for his pettiness.

Sasuke had been able to get a good look at Y/N while she was making the (cheap) tea. Her hair was the same as far as he could tell, that being the only thing he remembered about what she looked like. _She's pretty,_ he thought, being direct with himself. There was no point in avoiding his own thoughts. It could be the fact that she wasn't swarming around him like the other girls at his school that made her more attractive to him; physically _and_ personality-wise.

She had poured the tea with half-lidded eyes as the steam clouded her vision, which made her expression softer; the opposite of her usual feisty and snarky attitude.

The awkwardness in the air was still there, and it had been a good 10 minutes since either of them had talked. Sasuke personally didn't mind, this kind of silence was comforting to him. He wasn't good with small talk anyway.

But he could tell that Y/N was getting restless. Sasuke cursed Naruto and his habits he never bothered to fix. _Doesn't he know showing up late is bad manners?_

He decided to talk about something, anything, which was unusual for him. He opened his mouth to say Y/N's name but instead got interrupted by a loud knock at the door. One with a lousy rhythm that only Naruto could pull off. Y/N practically jumped to get the door, grasping at the opportunity to do something other than stand in silence.

Sasuke could already hear Naruto blabbering before Y/N even opened the door. _That idiot, is he so socially deprived from Winter break that he's talking to himself?_ Sasuke got up as well, a frown plastered on his face, already planning the words at which he was going to yell at Naruto.

Instead of Naruto being alone, it seemed that he was with another girl, who Y/N was hugging. _That's who she mistook me for? Tch. Our hair color isn't even the same._

It made Sasuke feel a bit weird to see her hugging the other girl the same way she did with him, though he didn't know why since Y/N had mistaken him for the girl anyway.

"Oh, did the two of you come here together?" Y/N asked, eyes darting between Naruto and the purple-haired girl. The girl shook her head, and Naruto swung his arm around her shoulder, leaning close to her before smiling widely.

"Hinata and I?" Naruto grinned. "Nah, we just happened to get here at the same time. But we all know each other right? We're all in classes together. Right, _Sasuke_?"

Naruto's voice laid Sasuke's name on thick, forcing him to reply. "Yeah." He blandly replied. He was not going to let Y/N know that he had already forgotten the name of her friend despite Naruto saying it just seconds before. Not to mention she was apparently in some of his classes. So, instead, he just nodded at her in acknowledgement.

* * *

"So," Naruto blurted out, "where are we going?"

The question surprised you, as you yourself didn't know. "Uh, well, I didn't actually think about that," you started, becoming embarrassed again. _What was I thinking? The four of us can't stay in this cramped apartment for three hours..._

"How about the aquarium?" Hinata says, which comes out of nowhere. Her voice is small but the suggestion comes off strong. You thank Hinata for saving you and immediately take charge of the idea.

"Yeah, there's an aquarium a few blocks away, we can walk. It's stopped snowing as well," you say while poking your head out in between Naruto and Hinata to see outside.

Naruto lifts his arm off of Hinata and pumps his fist in the air, "Alright then!" You turned your head back to Sasuke, whose face was unreadable, so you ask just to make sure. "Is that okay with you, Sasuke?" You tilt your head, getting more comfortable around him.

"What about the cost?" he questions, which throws you off. He definitely didn't seem like the person to care about money, and you knew he wasn't struggling financially since he went to Hinata's school.

"It's free for everyone under the age of 18, so you don't have to worry about the price." you respond, a hint of gratefulness in your voice to whoever came up with that rule.

"EHH??' Naruto exclaims, eyes popping out of its sockets. "I've already turned 18 though," he whines, hands covering his head. "And I'm saving up my allowance to buy this new video game that's coming out soon!"

"Oh, it's fine Naruto," you assure him, "they don't ask for IDs or anything so it shouldn't be a problem. Hinata's already turned 18 too, just a few weeks ago. And since we're going as a group it should be obvious we're still high schoolers."

"...Alright," Sasuke says, interrupting Naruto and his dramatic act while walking out the door, his shoes already slipped on. You hurry into your room to grab a light jacket instead of your usual thick one before locking the door as the four of you headed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also just for context, naruto's birthday is in october and hinata's is on december 27th, so the time in the story right now is around the beginning of january. and sorry, i dont think i made it clear but they are all in their senior year of high school


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i've decided to kinda switch the perspective up a bit so you'll be getting more of what sasuke is thinking as well. it'll be like a combination of 3rd and 1st person, if that makes sense

The walk to the aquarium was short. Mainly due to the cold weather- none of you wanted to spend unnecessary time outside voluntarily freezing yourselves. At the entrance, you hit the heel of your boots on the floor mat a few times to get rid of any excess snow. The others do the same.

You open the door holding it out so everyone can walk in, but Sasuke holds it for you instead, his arm above your head while holding the door.

"Thanks," you mutter, nodding at him while ducking under his arm and walking inside, the humid, warm air relieving the dry, exposed skin on your face. You hear Naruto make a sound while doing a weird stretching movement, embracing the change in temperature. 

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna get us our visiting passes," you say before heading over to the ticketing office. You point over to your new _friends_ (if you may call them that) so that the person giving you tickets knows you're a group. _Should I get us some lockers?_ You look over to see what everyone is carrying and decide against it. _We pretty much only have our jackets. We should be fine._ _Getting keys and everything is too much of a hassle anyway._

You grab two maps of the aquarium and walk back over to hand them their passes, which is just a card with a red lanyard that you wear around your neck. You pass Hinata and Naruto the maps, assuming that you'd splitting up eventually, Hinata with you and Sasuke with Naruto. You were bound to lose the map if you were put in charge of it. And, the aquarium was pretty big from what you'd heard.

"Yes! Where should we go first?" Naruto asks, "Do they have sharks here?"

"Yeah, they do, actually," Hinata says, looking through the pamphlet as well. You chuckle to yourself. _Pretty impressive for an aquarium in the middle of nowhere._

"We should just follow the paths, then we'll be able to see everything," Sasuke says quietly as he looks at the map with Naruto.

"Sounds good to me," you agree.

The aquarium is pretty crowded given the circumstances; you didn't expect so many people would choose to go to the _aquarium_ of all places on a Wednesday during winter. But then again, here you were, so maybe it wasn't that unusual. You don't mind it though. The packed hallways that would normally result in sweaty, gross bodies touching each other instead warmed the chilly air.

The first section of the aquarium was where the smaller fish were, their transparent tanks on full display while children pressed their noses against the glass to get a better look. It was a comforting feeling, really. A new one to you as well. Shoes shuffling against the navy carpet, the low chattering, faces staring in awe at creatures they had never seen before. You realized you were quite similar to the children who were gawking at each tank. Darting your eyes around the area, seeing something different each time. You tried to act unimpressed, but this typical childhood experience was something you never got to do. It was a first for you. And even if it wasn't with your parents, you were still here with some decent friends.

Clearly, your excitement didn't go unnoticed, as Sasuke walked over to join you while you were admiring what they call, a "coral reef display."

"You're acting as if you've never been to an aquarium before," Sasuke says, half asking half stating while crouching down and observing the display next to you.

"I haven't," you reply neutrally, not looking at him. You feel his gaze on you as he turns to face you, your eyes still glimmering with admiration and interest. He doesn't reply and instead waits for you to continue. He waits for a few seconds then realizes that you're still focused on the tank, interest not wavering enough to bother explaining it to him.

"Really?" Sasuke carefully presses, unconvinced. "Even though the entry fee here is free?" He looks back into the tank with you, his body a bit closer than before. You don't twitch or scoot away. Unexpectedly, you don't really mind.

"Yup. I don't have parents, and going to the aquarium alone seems pretty pathetic." You let out an airy laugh. "But going with friends is probably just as good, don't you think?" You finish, hoping that you didn't bring down the mood. Your family wasn't a sensitive topic for you- you didn't even have one. But talking about your own situation with other people often made them uncomfortable, so you avoided bringing it up in casual conversation.

Sasuke just nods and hums back, noting that you referred to him as your friend. 

You stand up and move your legs a bit, shaking off the ache that had built up from crouching for so long.

"O-kay!" You say enthusiastically while outstretching your arms, determined to make your first aquarium visit the best one. "Where do you guys wanna go next?" You say, turning around to face Naruto and Hinata.

Between the clusters of people and the dimly-lit lights, neither Naruto nor Hinata were in sight. Jolting your head to the left, you sigh in relief as you see that Sasuke is still beside you. What would be the point of coming here if you were going to get lost without your friends? It would be no different than being at the aquarium alone, which was exactly what you _didn't_ want.

"I don't see them," Sasuke says as he looks around as well. You shrug carelessly.

"Guess it's just us then. Where do you wanna go next, Sasuke?" It felt nice to be able to say his name to his face instead of a digital character for once. You repeat your question again. Nothing had really changed, and you weren't going to let Naruto and Hinata running off get in the way of your first aquarium visit. _They're probably making out in some dark corner or something._ You laugh at yourself under your breath. _Making out? Hinata?_

"Anything is fine." He bluntly replies. You shrug again and lead the way, following the general flow of the other people around you.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke." You say his name again, getting used to the way it rolls off of your tongue. It was the same word, same person, but it somehow felt...just a _bit_ different.

The two of you walk for a bit, just admiring- well, mainly just _you_ admiring. Sasuke doesn't seem all that interested, though you can tell he's making an effort to act as if he is. You don't really talk; neither of you has anything of importance to say. It isn't awkward though, you'd even say it's comforting, just being in each other's familiar presence. For you, at least.

It's similar to when you both play Fortnite together. You talk a bit at the beginning, then most of your focus is directed at the gameplay.

You take off your jacket and tie it around your waist, your body feeling warm- even a bit hot. The main hallway you had been walking down now split into a fork, and you peeked your head in one area while Sasuke checked out the other before you rejoined back in the first hallway, not even a word said. The communication was almost telepathic.

"There's a touch pool in this area," you tell him, eagerness present in your voice. The only fish you had ever touched was canned sardines and mackerel that you ate for dinner. So, to say you were excited was an understatement. Sasuke replies with his usual, 'hn' and walks in before even telling you what was in the other room. You shake it off before following him in, hands a bit jittery. _There was probably nothing interesting in the other room- Who am I kidding? Everything here is interesting..._ You make a mental note to turn back and check out the other room after this.

There are a bunch of tanks with steps near them so you can lean over them. Mainly children surround the tanks, their parents observing or taking photos from afar. You quickly walk over to Sasuke who's standing in an empty space at one of the tanks, saving both of you a spot. You look into the tank, the water glimmering as it reflects the LED lights shining from above you. You're a bit nervous, having never done this. You wipe off the sweat that had built up on your palms and purse your lips.

"Tch, hurry up Y/N. Do you need me to put your hands in the water for you?" Sasuke sarcastically says while slightly rolling his eyes. To your own surprise, you freeze, waiting for him to actually do so. Your hands tremble a bit while Sasuke just stares at you. _Move! Move your fucking hands Y/N!_ You would have never imagined something as small and insignificant as this would make your heart beat this fast. Clearly, your first time at an aquarium was more important to you than you had let yourself think.

Sasuke sighs loudly before looking down at your hands and embracing them softly with his own while he slowly lowers your hands into the water. You feel your face burn from embarrassment while your muscles relax from the ease of tension as your nerves calm down slightly. _Fuck, this is so embarrassing. I can't believe he's helping me touch some fish._

You're ever so thankful that Sasuke can't see your face since he's looking at your hands. _I hope my hands don't look weird or anything..._

The cool water surrounds your hands and Sasuke releases his grip on you. You almost miss his gentle touch. _Almost._

"Can't even handle a few fish, Y/N?" Sasuke taunts. You could practically hear the smirk on his face.

You sneer back at him, your hands still wandering around in the water as you begin touching the sand on the bottom. You don't reply back to him- not with the risk that you might stumble on your words as you're still recovering from him holding your hands. You didn't really know what to think, but you know you felt _something._

Taking a deep breath, you saved those thoughts for later and mustered your focus on the sea cucumber that was conveniently near your hand. You picked it up and lifted it out of the water, the creature silky against your skin.

"Check this out Sasuke," you said while displaying the sea cucumber and shoving it in his face. He moved his face back a bit before muttering something that sounded like 'cool' under his breath and looking away. You felt strangely happy over nothing. You were even freaking yourself out. 

Exasperated from all the new fish you had seen in just a few hours, you needed a break. "Gee, Sasuke, I think a break would be good," you said while you were both washing your hands at the open sink.

He raises an eyebrow at you. "A break? From looking at fish?"

"Hey, just a few hours ago I had only seen- _and_ eaten, like, four different types of fish." you retort back, arms crossed over your chest as you leaned against the wall. You got your phone out of your pocket to check the time, still-wet hands careful not to mess up your phone. You had a notification from Hinata. _Probably wondering where we are,_ you thought while opening it.

_Y/N, something came up at home, I've gotta leave early. Don't mind me, just enjoy the rest of the aquarium!_

The message was sent two hours ago. You slouched your shoulders after reading the message. _I guess family issues can't be avoided..._

 _Is Naruto still here?_ You text back. You didn't want Naruto wandering around by himself...although he could probably made a stranger his friend in the past two hours.

_Oh, he left at the same time as me. We had already viewed the whole area so he went back home. I think he sent Sasuke a message._

"He did," Sasuke suddenly says. You hadn't noticed was next to you, reading your text messages with Hinata. You turn your phone away from him defensively. _Creep. Looking at other girls' texts._

"Huh. I wonder how they got through the whole place so quickly," you ponder out loud, stashing your phone away in your pocket again.

"You're just slow," Sasuke says matter-of-factly, turning around to face where you came from. "Let's head back. In case you haven't noticed, it's been _4 hours_ since we got here."

Your eyes widen to your own surprise, "What? But we haven't even seen the whole place!" You whine, flinging your arms like a child. Sasuke had noted that you blended in well with the other children at the aquarium.

"Well," Sasuke says, turning head to face you, "With your turtle speed of course we weren't going to get through the whole place."

Your smile falters as you feel it come to an end. You felt robbed of your happiness, despite it only being an aquarium. Sasuke must see this, because he sighs and walks over to you while you look down at your feet.

"It's fine," Sasuke somewhat demands while you feel his hand land on your hair, and he tilts your head up so you're looking at him instead of the floor now. His dark eyes were calming, so empty yet full. "We can just come back. It's free, remember?" He says before he stalks off. You follow behind him, managing a quiet 'yeah' to escape your lips.


End file.
